Rev. Misty-Dawn Shelly brings a collaborative and creative spirit in her role as our settled minister.

A graduate of Bridgewater State University in Psychology, Misty-Dawn earned her M. Div. from Andover Newton Theological School in 2009. She completed a two year part-time internship and was received into preliminary fellowship with the UUA in 2011. Misty-Dawn was ordained that same year by the members of the Unitarian Universalist congregations of Northborough and Brookfield, MA.

For five years, Misty-Dawn has served our congregation with compassion and collaboration at the core of her ministries. She is active in our local community, collaborating with interfaith leaders throughout our city. She serves her UU colleagues as the chapter president of the Heartland Chapter of the UU Ministers Association. Misty-Dawn received final fellowship with the UUA in 2016, surrounded by her family and several members and youth of our congregation.

Misty-Dawn and her spouse, Jenna, live in Fort Wayne, sharing a home with their dogs, Musubi and Baxter. They love the sense of community and “Hoosier hospitality” that continues to evolve throughout the city.

Misty-Dawn came to ministry after a career as a Bookkeeping Coordinator, supervising accounts-receivables and account-payables, specializing in data tracking and research for grants, and reporting to the CFO and CEO of a non-profit human service agency.

For fun, Misty-Dawn enjoys yoga, walking the dogs, a new love of knitting, and exploring her new home state of Indiana.

Misty-Dawn writes: “I am a white, cisgender, lesbian, married without children. I grew up in a poor working class family and became professional middle class after attending seminary. I’ve been told that my family ancestry is Irish/English/Italian and I look forward to learning more about my heritage. I share my identities with you as one way to disrupt our assumptions and prejudices we have of one another, and to invite you to see your beauty of being human in this complex world and claim and celebrate the truths of who you are.”

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We are a welcoming congregation, which invites all people, no matter their race, age, ability, gender, or whom they love, to enter our doors and worship with us.